NAND flash memory seems to be invading
nearly every electronic devices that we use today. Everything from
cameras to smartphones
to notebook
computers to digital media players make use of the storage
technology.

So it should come as no surprise that
companies are always looking to new process technologies to not only
lower the cost of production for NAND flash memory, but also to
improve performance and storage densities.

Samsung has made an announcement today
that should be sweet music to photographers and smartphone users
around the globe. The Seoul, Korea-based company has announced the
production of 20nm class MLC NAND flash memory for use in Secure Digital
(SD) cards and smartphone storage. The new 20nm class NAND will usher in
the mainstream use of 32Gb MLC NAND and will result in storage
devices ranging from 4GB to 64GB.

"In just one year after initiating
30nm-class NAND production, Samsung has made available the next
generation node 20nm-class NAND, which exceeds most customers
requirements for high-performance, high-density NAND-based
solutions," said Soo-In Cho, president, Memory Division, Samsung
Electronics. "The new 20nm-class NAND is not only a significant
step forward in process design, but we have incorporated advanced
technologies into it to enable substantial performance innovation."

According to Samsung, SD cards based on
new 20nm class technology will be 30 percent faster than the company's
existing
30nm-class products. In addition, the new 20nm class devices will
be capable of 20MB/sec read speeds and 10MB/sec write speeds (Class
10 speed rating).

Samsung hopes to have full
production-spec modules running off the assembly line later this
year.